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Matchstick Men (2003)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
12 September 2003 (USA) moreTagline:
lie cheat steal rinse repeatPlot:
A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(33 articles)
Shawn Ryan Reminisces on The Shield (From MovieWeb. 2 November 2009, 7:54 PM, PST)
Ann Peacock Adapting Eoin Colfer's 'Airman'
(From IFTN. 23 October 2009, 12:29 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Nick Cage is awsome! more (317 total)US TV Schedule:
| Thur. Nov. 12 | 6:00 AM | USA |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Nicolas Cage | ... | Roy Waller | |
| Sam Rockwell | ... | Frank Mercer | |
| Alison Lohman | ... | Angela | |
| Bruce Altman | ... | Dr. Klein | |
| Bruce McGill | ... | Chuck Frechette | |
| Jenny O'Hara | ... | Mrs. Schaffer | |
| Steve Eastin | ... | Mr. Schaffer | |
| Beth Grant | ... | Laundry Lady | |
| Sheila Kelley | ... | Kathy | |
| Fran Kranz | ... | Slacker Boyfriend | |
| Tim Kelleher | ... | Bishop | |
| Nigel Gibbs | ... | Holt | |
| Bill Saito | ... | Pharmacist #1 | |
| Tim Maculan | ... | Pharmacist #2 | |
| Stoney Westmoreland | ... | Man in Line |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some sexual content and language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
116 min | Canada:120 min (Toronto International Film Festival)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39979)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Roy's pills are actually Benadryl, a popular over-the-counter allergy medicine. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Roy is telling Angela he doesn't want her around, she unwraps the puppy angel ashtray and reaches into the car. But when she sets it on the dashboard the ashtray is still wrapped, Roy then picks it up and unwraps it again. moreSoundtrack:
La Dolce Vita moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (317 total)
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Reviewing a movie like Matchstick Men is tough because it's a con movie and as such I really can't go into the plot all that much. So, I'll just give a quick little synopsis of the plot, but really if you've seen any trailers for the movie, you know the plot pretty well.
Nicolas Cage plays Roy, a con man (or, as he likes to say, a Con Artist!) who has a lot of problems. For one, he's a compulsive cleaner, he hates the outdoors and he has lot of ticks Roy needs medication to keep him sane.
One day he knocks his pills into the sink and when he calls his doctor to get more he finds out that his doctor is no longer in town! This provides one of the funnier/saddest part of the movie. I'm not sure if it was suppose to be played up for laughs or not, the tone was kind of hard to tell, but Roy spend the next day and a half cleaning his house, his ticks got worst and well it made me feel kind of bad for him.
His partner Frank, played by Sam Rockwell provides him with the number for another psychologist who can help. Roy goes to the psychologist thinking that it'll be easy, to just ask for the pills and he'll get them. No, this guy wants to help Roy and will not give him any pills until he talks. Which, I must say, shows two things. One, Nick Cage is great when he plays these type of rolls, and two, he's damn funny. What he tells the psychologist was both funny and sad. During that time though it's reviled that Roy was married at one time, and when his wife left she was pregnant and he doesn't know what happen to the child who would be 14 by now.
After getting the pills (only a weeks worth mind you) Roy decides to find out about his daughter, but he can't because he's too scared, so after getting the number of his ex wife he asks his psychologist to make the call when he can. Later that night he gets a call from him and finds out that he has a daughter who wants to meet him.
That's as far as I'll go with the plot because the movie really picks up from there as he bonds with his new daughter and sets up a really complex and dangerous con.
Like I said, Nick Cage is great in the movie, but I also want to point out that his daughter, Angela (played by Alison Lohman) was just fantastic to watch. She really lit up the screen when she smiled and it looked like Alison Lohman was just having a ball playing her. She was your typical 14 year old (only, and this shocked me when I found out, Alison Lohman is 24 years old! If you watch it, keep that in mind and tell me she doesn't look like a 14 year old.) who knew just how to work her dad! Some of the funnier moments came after he would yell at her, then she'd start to cry and Roy would just completely collapse and start apologizing for what he said, even if he was completely right! It was just really funny.
Matchstick Men isn't a fast paced movie, it's more of a character study between Roy and Angela and how she changes his life and makes him reprioritizes his values and the way he runs his life.